While I’ve been ranting about the Straits Times pretty often of late, being the most decent English newspaper on this island, I have no choice but to read it for local news, and this piece of news about a man jailed for pitching and living in illegal tent was rather disturbing to me.

I do not know the complete facts of the case, but assuming the newspaper report is accurate, this man pitched a canvas tent at East Coast Park in 2007 without a valid license, and he lived there for a month before being discovered and apprehended by park rangers who presumably handed him over to the police, and then the attorney-general’s chambers decided to proceed with the case, resulting in the fine which became a 4 day jail term because of inability to pay the fine.

The reason for this man living in a tent is apparently homelessness and unemployment. And in that month he lived outdoors, he claimed he seldom ate, subsisting on food that friends would bring from time to time.

I believe these information should have been given to the police, who would have in turn passed it on to the AGC. While I understand that this man has indeed broken a law and legal prosecution is completely justified, surely some empathy could have been shown in deciding whether to charge this person. The justice system worked flawlessly in this case, but what this person needs is not a fine nor jailing; what he needs is social assistance to deal with the source of his transgression of the law. The justice system is not the antidote to this problem.

This is not the way to build a more inclusive and gracious society. And yes, a more inclusive and gracious society needs a greater supply of empathy, and of course, the participation of the justice system too.

It’s a sad story to read.